Lyria’s “ Bilan Carbone™ ” carbon footprint assessment
The approach chosen
To ensure the reliability of the study, we called on the ADEME (the French Environment and Energy Management Agency), who developed the Bilan Carbone™ assessment methodology, and during execution of the assessment, we received advice and assistance from consultants at the ECO2 Initiative services and consulting firm (www.eco2initiative.com ).
We chose to take into account all of the emissions generated both directly and indirectly by our activity by applying the global approach defined by the ADEME. That way, not only did we evaluate the energy consumed in transporting our customers, we also evaluated all the emissions caused by the construction and maintenance of the infrastructures and trains (tracks, catenary systems, stations, TGV high-speed trains). The assessment also took into account the emissions caused by people travelling to and from the stations.
The results of the Bilan Carbone™ carbon footprint assessment for Lyria for 2006
The main sources of emissions of Lyria are due to passengers’ journeys to and from the station (42% of the emissions), the manufacture and maintenance of the train tracks (32% of the emissions), the electricity consumption of the trains (13% of the emissions) and the energy consumed in maintaining the trains and stations : heating, electricity, etc. (10% of the emissions).
These results enabled us to calculate the emissions for a passenger travelling one kilometer with TGV Lyria. Excluding the passenger’ journeys to / from the station, these emissions amount to 6g of CO2 per km travelled and per passenger.
The Bilan Carbone™ study showed that the electricity consumption of TGV Lyria ultimately represents a fairly low share of the balance of emissions of this type of transport and that a passenger who travels 10km by car to get to the station emits as much as the train does on the whole journey from Paris to Geneva (550km).
Of course, Lyria cannot make decisions for its customers as to which modes of transport they should use, especially since in many cases the car is a necessity (to carry luggage, for example, or transport children or people with reduced mobility, or due to an insufficient public transport network, etc.).
However, in certain cases, it is possible to use cleaner transport and Lyria intends to play its part in raising customer awareness and facilitating access to alternative means of transportation.
Hence, in consultation with the ADEME, Lyria decided :
- to put an eco-calculator on its website to raise customer awarenessabout the emissions of various modes of transport.
- to sell tickets for public transport services on its trains.
- to discuss offering eco-friendly means of transportation in partnership with vehicle rental agencies or providers of public transport.
Other sources of energy consumption
With respect to sources of energy consumption (energy for maintenance, heating and electricity for stations, energy consumption by trains), Lyria is closely monitoring the progress of the SNCF (French National Railway Company) whose TGV high-speed trains and railway infrastructures it uses, and of the CFF (Swiss Federal Railways), the RFF (the company that owns and maintains the French national railway network) and Alstom, who builds TGV high-speed trains.
For futher information, on SNCF's and CFF's environmental initiatives to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, visit their websites :
The new high-speed Paris < > East line, which has been in service since June 2007, has made significant progress in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
All site activities are undertaken with the greatest respect for the environment : the SNCF has now introduced an HQE (High Quality Environmental) standard for its workshops from the design stage onwards and is hoping to obtain ISO 14 001 certification in the near future.
The 21 city-centre stations of the TGV Paris < > East network have benefited from extensive renovation and development efforts, which will make it possible to optimize energy consumption, offer new services, facilitate journeys and access to service areas and make the stations more user-friendly.
What is the Bilan Carbone TM ?
“To calculate all the greenhouse gas emissions caused by an activity in order to reduce them".
The activities of mankind, whatever they are, generate greenhouse gas emissions, either directly or indirectly. Greenhouse gases caused by human activity are contributing to climate change. Therefore, as individuals, companies, administrative establishments or organisations, we all now have a role to play in reducing emissions generated by our activities. To take effective action, we need to know the profiles and main characteristics of our emissions as best we can. It is precisely with this aim in mind that the ADEME developed the Bilan Carbone™ diagnostic tool.
To know more about the Bilan Carbone™ diagnostic tool, click here.
Lyria’s “ Bilan Carbone™ ” carbon footprint assessment 
